Students
Okanagan College student pours her heart out and into her work
June 18, 2026
In the quiet privacy of her home studio, student-artist Julia Harley is building a body of work that is heartfelt, visceral and uncomfortably magnetic. Her watercolor painting, titled Pour Your Heart Out, which she shared at the OC Student Showcase this year, is just one example. It depicts an elegant, classic domestic scene of a tea party, but the focal point strays from the traditional politeness and high society of a tea party. In place of the traditional porcelain teapot sits an anatomically accurate human heart, dripping blood ...
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Expanding skilled-trades training in the Okanagan
June 11, 2026
Okanagan College will receive 256 new skilled-trades training seats as part of the Look West strategy commitment to deliver 5,000 new trades training seats in 2026-27. The Provincial Government made the announcement today in Kelowna at an event featuring Okanagan College student Emily Frick, who spoke of her experience in the skilled trades....
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Okanagan College celebrates standout student achievement at 2026 Skills Canada National Competition
June 9, 2026
Not only do Okanagan College students Emily Frick and Vladyslav Usach have promising careers ahead of them working in the skilled trades, but they will also forever be linked as two of the top OC students to compete at the national level.OC is celebrating the students and their standout results at the 2026 Skills Canada National Competition, held on May 28 and 29 in Toronto, Ontario. Both brought home national hardware — Frick earning the bronze medal in Car Painting and Usach capturing the gold medal in Collision Repair. Frick...
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Okanagan College celebrates graduates across four campuses in spring convocation
June 6, 2026
More than 800 students from across the Okanagan and beyond are crossing the stage this week as Okanagan College (OC) marks Spring Convocation and Commencement ceremonies at all four of its campuses – Kelowna, Vernon, Salmon Arm and Penticton – celebrating graduates from dozens of different programs who represent the diverse training offerings at the College.Two ceremonies are being held in Kelowna today (June 6) while ceremonies will also take place in Vernon (Monday, June 8 at 4:30 p.m., Vernon Performing Arts Centre) and on OC cam...
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OC animation students help brand the BC Summer Games
June 3, 2026
The Kelowna 2026 BC Summer Games is shaped by volunteers, and Okanagan College students are helping lead the chargeMonths before athletes arrive in Kelowna for the 2026 BC Summer Games, animation students and alumni from Okanagan College have already been designing the visual elements behind the event’s look and feel.The students’ work will appear across the Games, when they take place July 22 to 26, from pin designs and sponsor signage to banners, merchandise and venue graphics seen by thousands of Games participants, voluntee...
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Enactus Okanagan College crowned National Champion, advancing to World Championships in Brazil
May 12, 2026
Enactus Okanagan College has been named the 2026 Enactus Canada National Champion after defeating more than 45 universities and colleges from across the country at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Montreal, held May 5–8.With the national title at the entrepreneur-focused student competition, Enactus Okanagan College will now represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup in São Paulo, Brazil, this November, competing against top student teams from around the globe.The national championship presentation highlighted Paper Trail, a...
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OC students bring home hardware from 2026 Skills Canada BC Provincial Competition
May 1, 2026
Okanagan College (OC) students delivered a standout performance at the 2026 Skills Canada BC Provincial Trades and Technology Competition, earning multiple medals across trades and technology disciplines.Held on April 15 at the Tradex in Abbotsford, the 32nd annual provincial competition brought together approximately 500 of the province's top secondary and post-secondary students who had previously earned gold medals at regional competitions across BC.Leading OC's results were three gold medalists. Emily Frick claimed top honours i...
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Okanagan College students earn two first place finishes at Enactus Canada regionals
March 17, 2026
Student entrepreneurs from Okanagan College delivered an outstanding performance at the recent regional competition hosted by Enactus Canada March 12 and 13 in Vancouver, earning two first-place finishes and one second-place finish across three National Impact Challenge categories.The results place Okanagan College among the top-performing teams in Western Canada and will see two teams advance to the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Montreal this May, where they will compete against the best university and college teams from ac...
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Okanagan College welcomes community to 2026 Open House events
March 2, 2026
For many future students, choosing a post-secondary pathway begins with a visit. Okanagan College is inviting future students, families and career changers to take that first step at its 2026 Open House events this spring. Open House events offer guided tours of classrooms, labs, skilled trades shops and student spaces, along with opportunities to meet instructors, advisors and current students. Visitors can explore more than 130 programs and learn about flexible pathways, including upgrading and part-time study options.Event s...
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Skills Regionals competitions to take place at Okanagan College
February 6, 2026
Later this month, it might look like OC’s Kelowna campus has been taken over by middle and high school students.The 2026 Skills B.C. Regional Trades and Technologies competitions are expected to see more than 200 middle and high school students at Okanagan College on Feb. 20, competing in a wide variety of competitions, ranging from cabinetmaking to automotive services, and welding to culinary – with many more in between.Expanded sessions for this year include animation, pu...
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Okanagan College students celebrate winter Convocation and Commencement ceremonies
January 24, 2026
It is a big day for more than 200 Okanagan College students and their families as another wave of college-trained students prepare to enter the workforce. The students were honoured in front of family and friends at Okanagan College’s winter Convocation and Commencement ceremonies, being led in by traditional Syilx drummers and singers at the ceremony, held at the Kelowna campus.The day was doubly special for graduate Shyla Mitchell, who celebrated the completion of her program and her son, Archer’s, sixth birthday, two big mileston...
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International students welcomed across Okanagan College campuses
January 7, 2026
Okanagan College proudly welcomed new international students to campus during the Winter 2026 International Orientation, held Friday, Jan. 2, across the Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton campuses. The day was filled with energy, connection and plenty of smiles as students were introduced to their new academic home.From informative sessions designed to help students navigate college life, to interactive games that encouraged connection and laughter, the orientation created a wel...
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Okanagan College celebrates success at Queen’s I.C.B.C Business Competition
December 18, 2025
The School of Business at Okanagan College is celebrating an outstanding achievement after teams from all five competition streams have advanced to the final round of the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (I.C.B.C.) hosted by Queen’s University. The prestigious competition is Canada’s oldest, largest and most prestigious undergraduate business case competition.This remarkable achievement reflects the dedication, expertise, and collaborative spirit of our students and coaches. It also highlights the strong interdisciplinary...
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Okanagan College students celebrate Convocation and Commencement ceremonies
October 18, 2025
Two hundred students took steps toward entering the workforce in front of family and friends at Okanagan College today, as the College held its fall Convocation and Commencement ceremonies.Graduate Dawson Perry provided the student address, where he talked about the community of learning he found at OC in the Bachelor of Business Administration program.“Group projects got a lot easier for me once I realized that the group was more important than the project. People are at the core of everything that we do, and if you get the chance ...
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Welcome day is one week away
August 19, 2025
Welcome Day: Tuesday September 2, 2025Kelowna- 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.Penticton – 11:30 a.m.- 3 p.m.Vernon – 10:30 a.m-2:30 p.m.Salmon Arm – 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m.The event will be filled with fun, games, music, free food and prizes! Be sure to check out all the booths, where you’ll find information about student support services and community connections.Engage with peers, meet other new students, and get to know your campus!Program sessions will also take place during the event — details about the programs, times, and locations will be po...
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The right fit
June 30, 2025
Choosing the right post-secondary institution is an important decision in a student’s life — whether it’s for the first time or part of a lifelong learning journey. For Tianna Llewellyn, that choice led her from her hometown of Chetwynd, B.C., to the Salmon Arm campus of Okanagan College, where she’s pursuing her Associate of Arts degree.“I wanted a place where I wouldn’t just be a number in a sea of students,” said Tianna. “Okanagan College offers smaller class sizes, delivering a more personalized experience. As a mature returning...
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